Total Results Blog

Effective exercise doesn't mean that you have to reinvent the wheel. Even in high-intensity training circles, there is considerable debate as to how to construct a workout regimen. People in our profession often spend a large portion of their day on message boards or going back and forth on social media about the structure of their workouts. It sounds to me that these folks have entirely too much time on their hands. I would rather spend my day instructing clients than waste time debating minutiae. Most Total Results clients are new to weight training and have never trained with a protocol that resembles ours. Why would we want to overcomplicate things? In my opinion, simple is always better than complex.

There is beauty in simplicity, and this is especially true whenever you are teaching something to someone else. Yet, for a variety of reasons unknown to me, some folks have a tendency to make life more complicated than it needs to be. I see this quite often in football. Many coaches try to have a play in their playbook for every situation or contingency. It is great to be prepared, but some people take this mindset a little too far. What they fail to understand is that not only do you have a limited amount of practice time per week, the players still need to be able to absorb the concepts that you are teaching. Instead of just executing and playing fast, the players have to think their way through their assignments. It is always better to run a smaller number of plays from multiple formations and execute them well than it is to have a million plays that are mediocre. Football is a much more simple game than most people realize.

By the same token, effective exercise is not particularly complex either. In order to stimulate physical improvements of any kind, you must create a significant stimulus. There are a couple of concepts that should be understood at the beginning. First, exercise must be of a high enough intensity for the body to mobilize its limited resources to make physical improvements. This is why we utilize a slow speed of movement; it enables us to recruit a greater amount of motor units (because momentum is minimized), which will result in a greater depth of fatigue (inroad). There is something in physiology that is referred to as the "All or Nothing" principle. A motor unit is a nerve cell and all the muscle fibers it innervates. When a motor unit is recruited, all of the individual fibers of that unit will contract, or none of them will. There are no half measures. Taking each exercise to muscular failure ensures that we have recruited and fatigued as many motor units as possible and given a maximum effort. That is the stimulus that we seek.

The second thing we must understand is that we are working with a few limitations. Exercise has a narrow therapeutic window; this means that we need to find the right dosage. Just like with medication, too much can have a toxic effect, and not enough does not bring about the desired change. One needs far less exercise than they realize, and it is very easy to overtrain. This is why our workouts are so brief and infrequent; we want to stimulate improvements without causing injury or illness along the way. One or two sessions per week for twenty minutes is not just something that we can get away with; it is a biological necessity. The body typically requires between 48 to 72 hours to recover from a workout, which is why we train no more than twice per week. Because we have these constraints, exercise routines should be fairly simple. We perform full-body workouts that typically consist of five to seven exercises of one set each. There is an equal emphasis on pushing and pulling exercises, as well as a balance between upper body and lower body exercises. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar muscles are engaged in the course of our workouts, and clients typically rotate between only two different workouts. Because clients only come once or twice per week, there simply isn't enough time to master more than two routines. Some fitness professionals espouse the idea of "muscle confusion" and change up their workouts frequently. This is a mistake, as it does not allow you to master the basics and help your body to recruit muscle in established motor pathways. Split routines are a waste of time; not only do they lead to stagnation of progress and overtraining, they fly in the face of logic. Your body functions as a unit, it is not just the sum of its parts. Since it is a unit, it should be trained as such. Compound exercises are more efficient for engaging a greater amount of muscle, and they are the easiest movements for a novice client to master.

None of the above ideas are particularly original; these are principles that have been understood for over a half century. Some people want to be complex because it gives them a greater sense of self-importance. We just want to help people get stronger and fitter in a safe and efficient manner so that they can squeeze more out of life. A simple, balanced, and brief exercise program will provide the stimulation that you need without overtraining. Total Results can help you do just that.

The main objective of exercise, in a nutshell, is to create a stimulus. This stimulus is what the body interprets as an existential threat, and it triggers a growth mechanism. In turn, the body then mobilizes its resources to make physical improvements. These improvements are many, but they include strength (the muscles' capacity to produce force), bone remodeling, as well as metabolic and cardiovascular conditioning. Everything that we do at Total Results is geared toward achieving the most effective stimulus possible without overtaxing the body along the way. While different people have different ideas about what they want to accomplish by being stronger and fitter, it is important to not get bogged down in minutiae. You should see the big picture and realize that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Most clients have some exercises that they like or dislike more than others. That's simply human nature. It is also normal to place a greater amount of importance on certain exercises. One of our clients judges the efficacy of her workout solely on how she performs on the Lumbar Extension exercise. Certainly some exercises are going to have a greater metabolic impact than others (think Leg Press versus Cervical Extension), but that doesn't mean that each exercise isn't important in its own right. You should not "save" your effort or hold back on certain exercises because you want to perform better in time under load (TUL) on another. Remember that "better" is a relative term, and form trumps everything else. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You will create a more effective exercise stimulus if you give a maximum effort on every exercise. Sure, you may achieve a shorter TUL on the Chest Press if you inroad more deeply on the Leg Press (since those exercises are often done in consecutive order), but so what? Your body doesn't really know or care what your TUL was on a given exercise; all it knows is that motor units are being recruited and resources are being depleted as you go through the workout.

Strive for perfect form on every repetition of every exercise that you perform. It is easy to lose sight of what is important, especially as you become more proficient and begin to train with greater effort. When movement becomes a struggle it is very tempting to commit form discrepancies simply to complete one more repetition. However, today's shoddy technique can become tomorrow's injury. See the big picture and remember that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Better technical form leads to greater motor unit recruitment, which in turn creates a more effective stimulus. It is the responsibility of the instructor to repeat the mantra of safety, and you cannot reap the benefits of high-intensity exercise if you are injured. Just because you may have a more difficult time with form on certain exercises does not mean that we will avoid them. We want to improve your strengths as well as your weaknesses. Try to maintain a growth mindset and strive for one percent improvement in each session.

I often talk about how unique the Total Results exercise environment is, relative to commercial gyms and other exercise studios. This is not done in a boastful manner, but our concept does set us apart from everyone else. For many first time Total Results clients, walking into our studio can be a strange experience. They are often used to more crowded, hot, and noisy settings, and can find the quiet to be a little unsettling at first. Some folks even complain about the cold temperature in the workout space, and there is often a natural tendency to bundle up in order to keep warm. Please understand that everything in our workout space, from the temperature to the fans, as well as the type of equipment that we have and where it is spaced on the floor, is all designed with the purpose of maximizing your exercise experience. Don't focus on negative things like the initial cold temperatures, or that a fan is blowing on you. Instead, realize that these are essential elements of the ideal exercise environment. Sacrifice a little comfort now for a larger reward at the finish line. We have a much larger purpose than simply moving weights around for twenty minutes.

By choosing Total Results, you are already on the road less traveled. If what we were doing was easy, everybody would do it. It takes drive, determination, and a willingness to be challenged in order to reach your physical potential. Combine that with big picture thinking and you have an unstoppable combination. Be a part of something that can push you to new heights that you did not believe were possible. Choose Total Results.

Most of us are dealing with something at any given time. Modern life provides numerous sources of stress, such as work, family, health, and even the economic and political climate. Social media can give you an update in real time, as if you didn't already have enough going on. Achieving balance and finding your metaphorical footing can be a tricky proposition, but one should take comfort in knowing that there are many people out there who are dealing with similar circumstances. In fact, some Total Results clients are working to overcome psychological hurdles that are associated with exercise.

One root cause of a mental hang-up can be injury. This could be an injury that was recently suffered, or an injury from a long time ago. There can be physical pain as well as a loss of confidence as a result of the injury. I have met with prospective clients in initial consultations whose injuries were so significant that it has prevented them from exercising for years. It is important to keep in mind that things are generally neither as good nor as bad as they seem at the moment. Try to maintain an even keel; never get too high after a great workout or too low after a subpar session. When clients return to exercise following an injury, we often avoid certain movements for a short period of time. Once the injured area has recovered, we can reintroduce these exercises by using a Timed Static Contraction. When a dynamic movement is once again appropriate, we often reduce the resistance on these exercises, particularly those exercises that involve the injured area. The real key is for us to find a pain-free range of motion and emphasize perfect form and speed of movement as we work back up to a higher level of intensity.

Novice Total Results clients often have a difficult time recognizing the difference between pain and discomfort. Training with the degree of effort and focus that our protocol dictates while using a very slow speed of movement is something that is completely new for most people. Exertional discomfort (or "burn," as it is often called) is a natural by-product of high-intensity weight training, and while it can be disconcerting and uncomfortable it is not an indication that any harm has occurred. A dull ache is a good thing, since it means you are giving great effort, and it is temporary. Sometimes we make more out of something that it really is, and while in the heat of the moment it may seem scary there is nothing to fear. Once you experience it you know what to expect moving forward, and your tolerance for discomfort will improve over time. Pain is something sharp or sudden that occurs, and is usually indicative of a true injury. This must be acknowledged and communicated right away, so that the proper steps can be taken. The safety of our clients is paramount, and even though we like to say that our exercise protocol is safer than stepping off a curb, there are rare instances when something goes wrong. Help us to keep you safe!

Once a client achieves the ability to train with a high level of intensity, starting exercises from the bottom out position can become a mental challenge. There is an occasional delay between when the brain sends the impulse for the muscles to fire and the moment that the machine's movement arm moves. This delay lasts fractions of a second, but in your mind's perception it can feel like an eternity. It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy; once you convince yourself that you can't move the weight, the weight doesn't move. This is something that happens to most clients at least once, and usually occurs on either the Leg Press or the Lumbar Extension exercises. It is completely normal, but it is also mental. Sometimes you just need to regain your confidence. One approach is to start the exercise from the end point. The client begins the movement from the most contracted position and starts with a negative excursion. This demonstrates to them that the weight is not too heavy and that they can handle it. Another option is to lower the resistance and have them start from the bottom out position. Once they are able to start the exercise from that position, their mental block has been overcome.

Some clients only measure their progress by their time under load (TUL) or how much weight they lift on a given exercise. Not only is this short-sighted, but it can set them up for disappointment if they do not increase in either category for a few workouts. There are numerous ways to chart your progress! As an instructor, I go to great lengths to highlight other measurable markers besides poundages and TUL. We often talk about the seen versus the unseen benefits of high-intensity exercise. Resistance to injury, energy levels, and the ability to do every day tasks with less effort should be viewed through a qualitative rather than a quantitative lens. It is also helpful to look back at where you were and how you felt on a daily basis when you started at Total Results and compare that to where you are now. Being more resistant to injury, having stable blood sugar and hormone levels, and being more physically active with less energy expended are wonderful by-products of the work you have put in. Try to see the big picture.

Author Ryan Holiday said in his outstanding book "The Obstacle is the Way," that, "The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition." Looking at things from a different perspective is a healthy way to break through and be better than you were before. We can help you to overcome psychological hurdles and be the best version of yourself. Get locked in today!

In leadership, business, or teaching situations, you must explain to a person why you want them to do something. That is the only way to achieve a complete buy-in. It's not enough to just tell someone that you want them to do it; people with critical thinking ability don't just give blind obedience like it's the 1950s. I see it with the high school football players that I coach; young people are much more empowered today than they were thirty years ago. While these young men have a healthy respect for authority (which we as coaches have earned by demonstrating positive habits and behaviors every day), they want to know the reasoning behind the task they are being asked to carry out. They deserve to know why!

It has been said that if you really want to learn how to do something, teach it. However, if you don't first understand the material, you will have a difficult time teaching it to someone else. Teaching requires the ability to break down and explain concepts in language that is easily understood. This helps to establish the teacher's credibility and gains the students' trust. The exceptional teacher or coach doesn't use a cookie-cutter approach, but rather adapts his or her methods to meet the needs of the individual that he or she is teaching. People learn in different ways and at different rates of speed, but if you explain the why it will help the student to retain the information more effectively. Most importantly, both parties will be on the same page from a standpoint of expectations.

There is a purpose for everything we do at Total Results. Our exercise environment is quiet, private, and free from distractions. High-intensity exercise requires focus - not just to maximize the effectiveness of the workout, but also to optimize client safety. We keep the temperature in the studio as close to 68 degrees as possible, with low humidity and adequate ventilation. Your muscles generate tremendous heat when you exercise intensely, and it is much easier to overheat than most people realize. If you stay cool, you can inroad your musculature much more effectively than if you are covered in sweat. The equipment at Total Results is engineered by MedX, Super Slow Systems, and Nautilus, which means that it tracks muscle and joint function properly and allows the muscles to encounter appropriate resistance at all points in the range of motion.

We select and sequence the exercises that will engage the greatest amount of muscle in the shortest amount of time; this enables us to achieve a quality exercise stimulus without overtraining. Compound movements allow us to perform five to seven exercises in twenty minutes or less; efficiency is a key element to our protocol. We advocate a speed of movement of approximately ten seconds on each positive and negative phase of each repetition. This keeps the potentially dangerous forces to a minimum, reduces momentum, and allows the muscles to remain under load throughout the exercise. Intensity can be defined as inroad/time, and it is the main component to a proper exercise stimulus. Therefore, we want to take each exercise to the point of muscular failure and push or pull for an additional ten seconds. This way we have done everything we can to stimulate the body to adapt. Your instructor will keep accurate records for every workout, and giving clients access to their spreadsheet will allow them to track their progress in real time.

In his excellent book, "Start With Why," author Simon Sinek says that, "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe." We believe that the Total Results exercise protocol is the safest and most effective means to stimulate positive physical change with the smallest time commitment. While we don't expect you to gain as deep an understanding of exercise as what we have, understanding your why will help you if you want to dig beneath the surface and find out what you are capable of. Discover your why and get started today!

According to a definition that I found on Healthline.com, "Muscular strength relates to your ability to move and lift objects." It can also be defined as the amount of force that can be produced in a single effort. Muscles contract (shorten), which pulls on connective tissue that is attached to bones in order to enable movement. Our ability to move will diminish as we age if we don't do something about it. In order to maintain your physical independence, protect yourself from injury, ward off chronic disease, and preserve your insulin sensitivity, you must continue to build muscle. Simply put, everybody needs strength.

Sarcopenia is the gradual loss of muscle that occurs as we age. It can begin as early as age 30, and can progress at a loss rate of three to five percent per decade. There are genetic factors to consider, as some folks are naturally more muscular than others, and a diet with inadequate protein can contribute to a reduction in muscle mass. There are three types of muscle tissue in the human body; cardiac (heart) muscle, smooth muscle (which is present in your internal organs), and skeletal muscle. Only skeletal muscle is under our volitional control, and high intensity Total Results exercise is the stimulus that the body needs to increase strength and build muscle. The body understands that building and maintaining muscle tissue is metabolically expensive, so it needs a very good reason to do so. Pushing each exercise to and beyond muscular failure, and then moving briskly to the next exercise is the impetus that the body needs in order to grow stronger and increase lean muscle mass. Combine this with intelligent rest/recovery, adequate sleep, and a protein-rich diet, and you have a recipe for success.

Osteoporosis is a condition that most people have heard about. This is what occurs when new bone formation is outpaced by bone removal, and can result in thinning bones, weakness, and an increased risk of falls and breaks. There is a strong correlation between osteoporosis and a vitamin D deficiency, as calcium (through diet and supplementation) is not effectively absorbed by the bones if vitamin D levels are too low. While I believe that vitamin D supplementation is important for everyone (as vitamin D behaves in a hormone-like manner that facilitates multiple body functions), the most effective means of stimulating bone remodeling is by performing strength training. It is true that most people equate high-intensity exercise with skeletal muscle, but the engagement of the muscles pulls on the connective tissues which attach to bones, thus providing the mechanical stress that stimulates bone remodeling. The Total Results exercise protocol was first refined in a clinical setting over forty years ago, during an osteoporosis study that was funded by Nautilus and lasted for four years. We have helped numerous clients over the years improve their DEXA scan readings and reduce their risk for serious injury.

Many people think that they are too old to begin a weight training regimen. In my opinion that is a shortsighted viewpoint; it is never too late to start with Total Results exercise. Some of the most comprehensive strength gains that I have witnessed have come from clients who did not begin weight training until they were in their 60s and 70s. Dr. Doug McGuff has discussed the concept of physiological headroom; this is described as, "the gap between the most a person can do and the least a person can do." This gap can begin to close as early as your mid 20s, and once the most and the least you can do becomes the same, death is the result. The good news is that this gap is reversible, and the best way to do that is with high-intensity Total Results exercise. Dr. Peter Attia spoke at length about the correlation between muscle and longevity in his book "Outlive." He believes that having more muscle mass correlates to a longer lifespan and better function, and there are several studies that support his perspective. Strength training can stimulate improvements in grip strength, endurance, balance, injury prevention, and recovery from injury. These are not usually considered by people in their 20s, but they become even more important as we age. On a personal level, my athletic prime probably ended about twenty years ago. However, I am convinced that regular Total Results workouts enabled me to play high level flag football into my mid-40s. With the physical and mental demands of running a business and coaching high school football, I would be in rough shape and burned out if I did not perform weekly workouts.

Everybody needs strength, and by keeping yourself strong and independent you will gain a level of confidence that you cannot find on an elliptical machine or treadmill. Nothing will have a greater impact on your overall body shape or metabolism than weight training. It may not seem fair, but you must work harder and more consistently at this as you grow older. The sooner you start, the sooner you can start reaping the rewards of your hard work. There is not a single activity that you do on a daily basis that doesn't involve your muscles, so why neglect them? Don't put it off another day.